Chapter 20: chapter 20

The Seven Silly BrothersIn a village in Punjab near the banks of the river Sutlej lived a couple, Tejinder and Gurminder. They had seven sons and one daughter, Gurmeet, who was the youngest of the lot and still a teenager. They earned a comfortable living by farming on their land and running a dairy business on the side.The couple was very hard-working and honest, and they had hoped that at least one of their sons would make them proud by being responsible or by applying their intellect. But sadly, their sons remained a disappointment to them.All seven sons were tall and handsome, with strong shoulders and legs, but all of them were extremely silly. The boys would go to the market to sell a cow and return without taking the money from the buyer. Sometimes they would forget to lock the gate of the chicken coop and then spend the whole day scampering after chickens to put them back. Sometimes they would go to the market together but forget to bring one brother back home.They were very helpful on the fields and in the farm, as long as they weren’t given too much responsibility. However, as they grew older, Tejinder and Gurminder always worried about who would take charge of their business and protect the family once they were gone.They worried that their silly sons would fritter away the family estate, leaving everyone homeless.This worry kept both Tejinder and Gurminder awake at night and brooding during the day. Things came to a head when the eldest son decided to cook one day. He put the rajma onto boil and then promptly forgot all about it. When Tejinder came to the kitchen to find a fire burning under a vessel that had become bent out of shape and had charred rajma in it, she lost her temper.She was so terribly upset that her daughter, Gurmeet, realised that the presence of her brothers would upset her mother even more. So, she requested her brothers to go and spend the day outdoors while she consoled her mother.‘But what will we do out in the sun all day?’ asked one of her brothers.‘Why don’t you all go fishing? I will cook some dal and rotis and you can bring fish for lunch,’ she suggested patiently.The boys agreed. But knowing her brothers and the scrapes they got into, Gurmeet also warned, ‘Remember to be careful. And don’t forget that there are seven of you. Do a headcount and ensure you don’t leave anyone behind.’The seven brothers agreed and left to go fishing. They began setting up their fishing equipment and bait on the Sutlej. They were sad that their mother was upset and were keen to get a good catch for lunch. Once they had caught enough fish, they decided to take a dip in the river. After some time, all of them stepped out and dried themselves.The eldest said, ‘Come on. Let’s leave.’The second eldest reminded him, ‘We are seven of us. And Gurmeet reminded us not to leave anyone behind. So let’s take a count.’The eldest agreed and counted six brothers. But the silly man forgot to count himself. ‘There are only six of us. One of our brothers has clearly drowned in the river!’ he declared.The third eldest said, ‘How is that possible? We didn’t hear anyone screaming or thrashing in the water. Wait, let me count once again.’The third eldest also took a count and came up with six. He had also forgotten to count himself. Another brother did the same.The brothers were now convinced that one of them had drowned in the river. So they all tore off their clothes and jumped back into the river to look for the missing brother. They all came out and took a count once again. But again, the brother who counted forgot to count himself as the seventh.It was now lunchtime, and the brothers were still confused about where their missing sibling was. Gurmeet waited for a long time, the once hot lunch getting colder and colder, waiting for her brothers to bring the fish. Then, convinced that her brothers must have got into some trouble, she and her parents left to look for them.When they reached the river, they saw the seven brothers worriedly counting each other. Tejinder and Gurminder started fretting over the boys, but Gurmeet quickly assured them that she would sort this issue out.‘Gurmeet,’ said the eldest brother when he saw her approaching them. ‘One of the brothers has drowned in the river. We can’t seem to find him.’Gurmeet, who could see that all seven of her brothers were right there, said, ‘Are you sure one of you has drowned?’‘Of course,’ said the second eldest. ‘See, there are only six of us.’ He counted his six brothers, yet again forgetting to count himself.Gurmeet realised what the problem was. ‘Okay,’ she declared, ‘all of you dive into the river. Let me also take a count.’When they came out of the river, dripping with water, Gurmeet counted all of them. She, of course, came up with a perfect seven!The brothers all looked at each other in relief. The lost sibling had been found! The long-suffering Gurmeet let out a sigh and rounded them all up so they could leave for home.Tejinder and Gurminder smiled at each other. When they saw Gurmeet handling her elder brothers with wisdom and affection, they knew that their they knew that Gurmeet, their youngest and only daughter, was was the right person to leave in charge of their family business.